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Andy Kerr’s Campaign Rhetoric, Voting Record at Odds

By: Kyle Forti (Diary)  |  October 9th, 2012 at 01:18 PM  | 

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Despite numerous pledges on the campaign trail to end partisanship and politics-as-usual, Colorado state representative Andy Kerr voted with his party 100 percent of the time on Democratic legislation that was brought to the floor for a final vote. Kerr is currently vying for a seat in the Colorado state Senate.

On the front page of his campaign website, Kerr states that voters, ” are tired of partisan games and want legislators who will get to work and do their jobs.”

“For years, I have proven that I put the interests of Colorado first, put politics aside, and let our shared values move good policy forward,” Kerr writes on his campaign site.

But an analysis of final floor votes on legislation that was sponsored exclusively by either Republicans or Democrats shows that Kerr’s voting record is anything but bipartisan. During the last legislative session, Democrats in the General Assembly sought floor votes on 54 bills with a bipartisan list of sponsors and on 29 bills that were sponsored exclusively by Democrats.

Kerr voted in favor of each of the 29 bills that were brought to the floor by Democrats and sponsored exclusively by Democrats, for a perfect partisan voting record of 100 percent. On the remaining 54 bills bought to the floor for a vote by his Democratic colleagues, Kerr scored 100 percent once again, voting with his party on each of the 54 votes

Kerr’s voting record on Republican-backed legislation was not much different. Of the 32 bills that were brought to the floor by Republican leadership and sponsored exclusively by Republicans, Kerr voted against nearly 70 percent of them – siding with the Republican-backed legislation only 10 times

Many of the 32 GOP-backed bills passed by huge margins with significant bipartisan support. In one example, Kerr sided with the Democratic leadership and voted against a popular bill concerning pupil enrollment, this despite 35% of Kerr’s Democratic colleagues voting in favor of the measure. The legislation easily passed on a bi-partisan 40-21 vote, with eleven Democrats crossing the aisle.

According to Project Votesmart, Kerr voted with his party almost 90 percent of the time on what Votesmart dubbed “key votes” of the 2012 legislative session. During the 2011 session, Project Votesmart data show that Kerr voted with his party’s leadership every single time

Vote ratings issued by outside groups also suggest that Kerr’s bipartisan record is more fiction than fact. For example, Kerr received 100 percent ratings in 2007 and 2008 from NARAL, one of the nation’s largest pro-abortion advocates that almost exclusively supports Democratic candidates. Kerr has also received “A” ratings from liberal groups such as Equal Rights Colorado, the ACLU, and the AFL-CIO

Conversely, Kerr receives universally poor marks from organizations that regularly support Republicans. The National Rifle Association, for example, twiceawarded Kerr with a grade of “F-“ for his failure to protect Second Amendment rights in Colorado. Colorado Union of Taxpayers, a conservative fiscal watchdog, gave Kerr failing marks in each of the last seven years

Kerr’s Senate campaign has raised a total of $137,000 thus far and currently reports $70,000 cash-on-hand.

 

This story was originally featured at Media Trackers Colorado

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  • inperlmuttersdistrict

    In Andy Kerr’s district as well. It should be noted that I am only speaking in regards to Colorado politics here.

    I have had a number of visits with Andy in his neighborhood meetings. They are usually short on attendance and in recent years he doesn’t seem to go anywhere without standing on the coat tails of Sen. Betty Boyd. When I was able to speak with Andy, he lacked detail knowledge of the bills we talked about.

    As I started to attend senator neighborhood meetings I noticed some stark changes between the democrat senators and the representatives. For one thing — there is no talking to the senators. They bring guest speakers, guest senators — in fact as many people as they seem to be able to grab to stand between them and the voters. Of all the democrat senator meetings I have attended I have never heard the senator speak for who’s district I was in attendance for.

    Back to Andy though. Most common in my conversations with Andy is that he doesn’t like TABOR at all. Not much of a surprise, none of the democrats in office that I’ve talked with do either. TABOR is Colorado’s Tax Payer’s Bill Of Rights. It forces a public vote on all tax increases — well almost all. Gov Ritter, while in office, cut a path around TABOR in court which allows CO to assess fee’s in place of taxes and almost over night my annual license for my car increased 287% – OUCH! I can only imagine what would happen if TABOR was over turned.

    Thanks for all the CO focus! We need a lot more conservative help here.

  • ihateliberals

    AS much as I hate democrats i respect Andy’s loyalty to his party. i get sick and tired of hearing everyone cry about their politician not being bipartisan. if i wanted my politician to be bipartisan i would vote for an independent candidate and not a Party candidate. I send my politician to office to stay on the Party side of things i don’t want him making deals with the other side i want him kicking butt and taking names. This 1960′s idea that “Why can’t we All just get along together” is boloney. The problem in congress right now is that we have a Republican party led by the patron Saint of give-in’s john Boehner. I am sick and tired of the likes of john McCain and M itch McConnell that always give into the Democrats. Rarely do they take a stand against them. Reagan was one of the best Bipartisan presidents I have known in my 60 + years. His idea was we will all get along together just fine as long a s you see things My Way.

    • inperlmuttersdistrict

      Admittedly, at first I really wanted to agree with you but in the end I found that I cannot. It seems more valuable to me to elect an individual with a strong moral compass, a person who is willing to break with party policy when doing so is in the best interests of those who are being represented.

      In the CO capital building there is a placard on the wall, dedicated by the descendants of Americans of Japanese descent. It is the only one of its kind and the only dedication to a former governor present in the building. It honors Governor Ralph Lawrence Carr who sacrificed his political career to defy the internment sentiment of the day which impacted these families.

      It is honorable to break with policy when the policy does not serve the interests of the citizens it is intended to serve and it doesn’t serve the people well when we play politics like major league sports. Should the democrat senate blindly follow Obama’s budget proposal to their own demise? Perhaps not — and certainly they didn’t think so either. Playing follow the leader no longer makes sense once the leader jumps off the cliff.

      In Andy’s case, Gov Ritter jumped and Andy has been doing his best to follow – perhaps in hopes of becoming the next leader himself.